"How's it going? Any news from the front?"
Nanming Prefecture is located in a remote small county in the corner of the western mountains. A big man rubbed his bloodshot eyes and asked directly as soon as he entered the county government hall.
The main hall of the government office was quite crowded. Besides a few armored adjutants, there were also several scholars dressed in long gowns, with the Provincial Governor of Jiangnan in the lead.
The burly man who had just joined the ranks was now the highest-ranking military officer in name only: General Zhou Hanyang.
Oh, I should say the highest-ranking military officer from a few days ago, because a very important person came here a few days ago.
"Lord Duke, you're up so early too?" Zhou Hanyang's face originally held a hint of hostility, but upon seeing the man, he immediately suppressed his irritability and became extremely respectful.
"You haven't slept all night again?" A middle-aged man beside the desk looked up, his face gentle as he looked at the burly man. "It's not good for you to stay up like this. Xishui County is in a remote area, and food is scarce. You are the backbone of the soldiers now, so you need to conserve your energy and be in good condition!"
"It was my oversight." Zhou Hanyang bowed respectfully and then sat down next to the middle-aged man.
He didn't want to stay up all night, but he just couldn't fall asleep.
Back when the zombies attacked the city, this group of soldiers abandoned all the city's inhabitants and retreated from the west gate, like stray dogs, all the way to the remote county of Xishui County.
Xishui County has a small population. Although the whole town was infected, it was nothing to the Black Dragon Guard elites who were retreating. They quickly cleared out all the zombies in the county and even recovered the surrounding countryside, barely managing to gain a foothold.
But they dared not make any further moves, for fear of attracting the attention of those terrifying undead in the main city.
The year passed in a daze. They were afraid of being found by the zombies, but dared not send anyone to investigate, because the scouts they had sent before had not returned. In order not to expose the place, they finally did not dare to spy again.
They were trapped in this small county town for a year, barely surviving on the town's stored grain.
If it weren't for the Duke of Duke of Qin finding them a few days ago, they don't know how much longer they would have continued living in a daze.
The Duke himself came to find them, which was originally great news. Zhou Hanyang, who had been living in a daze for a year, thought that he had finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel. But what he didn't expect was that he would receive even worse news!
The eldest princess betrayed the court, turning the 300,000 Golden Dragon Guard into living corpses, and the Black Dragon Guard were almost completely wiped out!
It turned out that on the day of the breakout, his men were not mistaken; those coming across the river were indeed the Golden Dragon Guard.
According to the information from the Duke of Duke of Qin, it was Her Highness the Eldest Princess who occupied Nanming Prefecture during this year.
The only good news was that Her Highness the Princess did not massacre the people of Nanming Prefecture, which brought a slight sense of comfort to Zhou Hanyang, who had abandoned the city.
At least Mu Hongqing's plan was correct. Their strategic retreat actually saved the entire city. Although they were deserters, they still played a role.
Now, the eldest princess has withdrawn from Nanming Prefecture, and Chen Qing, the prefect of Liuzhou in Jiangnan, Nanming Prefecture taken over.
This should have been good news, but the Duke of Qin said that Chen Qing had also betrayed the court!
When they first heard the news, everyone, including the provincial governor, found it unbelievable. How could a prefect, a scholar, have the audacity to betray him?
You said he had allied himself with the Eldest Princess, which would have made things easier, but he hadn't. According to the Duke of Duke of Qin, the current Chen Qing is a powerful warlord with hundreds of thousands of troops, capable of forcing the Eldest Princess to retreat from Nanming Prefecture!
To be honest, if it weren't for the Duke of Duke of Qin bringing these messages, they would all probably have thought the person who said these things was a madman!
A prefect in Jiangnan, relying on a group of militia recruited locally, seized control of Jiangnan and even forced the eldest princess to leave?
Isn't this supposed to be a myth?
But recent reports from scouts confirm this.
The terrifying zombies that were originally stationed outside Nanming Prefecture have all disappeared, and in their place is a well-organized and powerful army stationed on the outskirts of Nanming Prefecture!
"Your Excellency, Duke," Zhou Hanyang asked shortly after sitting down, "Has there been any new news from the front? How much longer must we wait?"
According to the intelligence brought by the Duke of Qin, the imperial court has dispatched troops to suppress Chen Qing's rebellion, led by the youngest duke in the Great Jin Dynasty: Yuchi Peng!
Upon receiving the news, Zhou Hanyang felt a surge of excitement and decided to cooperate with the imperial court to first recover Nanming Prefecture, at least to reclaim what had been lost and to vent the frustration of the past year.
However, the Duke of Qin's original words were. " Chen Qing is no ordinary person now. We must be cautious in coordinating our troops. If we are not careful, we will be wiped out. Chen Qing is definitely not easier to deal with than Her Highness the Eldest Princess, who has 300,000 Golden Dragon Guard zombies under her command."
These words kept Zhou Hanyang from taking any action for the past few days, but his heart was in turmoil.
"We have news," Lu Ming sighed, looking at the anxious Zhou Hanyang. " The Nanming Prefecture has dispatched troops to meet the imperial forces sent to suppress them. According to scouts observing from afar, there are approximately 30,000 men."
"Thirty thousand people?" Zhou Hanyang was taken aback. "Only that many?"
He had heard that the army currently stationed in Nanming Prefecture numbered over 300,000!
Including the newly relocated militia, the number is approximately one million.
The imperial court mobilized 30,000 troops to fight?
Who do you think you are?
"That's the truth," Lu Ming sighed. "Therefore, we must not act rashly."
"Damn it!" Zhou Hanyang couldn't help but slam his fist on the table.
Lu Ming also frowned slightly.
The original plan was for Chen Qing's newly stationed soldiers to deal with the imperial court, while they would launch a surprise attack on Chen Qing's rear when the battle was at its most intense, recapture Nanming Prefecture, cut off the retreat of Chen Qing's army, and then cooperate with the imperial court to severely damage Chen Qing's main force stationed in Nanming!
After conquering the Nanming, he would hold the gateway to Jiangnan like a nail, requesting continued support from the imperial court. In this way, the Duke of Qin would regain control of the situation in Jiangnan, at least being able to rival Chen Qing and the Princess, and at least he would still have a chance to plan the Dragon Palace Inheritance!
But he hadn't expected that, facing the imperial army, led by Yuchi Peng, Chen Qing would only send out such a small number of soldiers?
Do they really not take the imperial court seriously?
"Are we just going to watch like this?" Zhou Hanyang was extremely anxious.
He desperately wanted to take control; this past year had been incredibly frustrating, and the food supply in Xishui County was critically low. After all, how could the grain reserves of a single county possibly feed a group of his own blood relatives?
Without good meat, the soldiers' spirits waned, and they grew much thinner over the course of the year. Not to mention the soldiers, even he himself was in extremely poor condition. Long-term malnutrition is terrible for those of the bloodline, as it increases the burden on their bodies, causing them to lose control of their demonic bloodline. In the past year, he had personally executed dozens of soldiers who had become demonized.
A few days ago, in order to prepare for war and to ensure that the soldiers had sufficient physical strength, he disregarded the cries of the farmers in the countryside and forcibly requisitioned oxen, slaughtering them to replenish the soldiers' strength.
Hundreds of oxen were slaughtered in Xishui County, which provided the soldiers with a good meal. The soldiers' morale has improved significantly in the past two days. However, Zhou Hanyang knows that this is only temporary. If Nanming Prefecture cannot be taken back as soon as possible, Xishui County, whose farming has been delayed, will not be able to support them.
In six months at most, his soldiers would turn into monsters, and even he himself might become demonized. After that, they might all become demonized.
"We can only watch," Lu Ming said calmly. "The more critical the moment, the less we can afford to act rashly. We only have one chance, and we must strike decisively. Right now, we can only wait for the imperial court to break the deadlock first; otherwise, we have no chance at all."
Zhou Hanyang nodded helplessly. Although he was anxious, he knew that this was the only way things could be done given the current situation.
Lu Ming nodded, then looked at the provincial governor not far away. "Your Excellency, how much grain is left in Xishui County?"
"Your Excellency, the Duke," the Provincial Governor hurriedly replied, "There are still 20,000 shi of grain left in the granaries, which is enough for the time being."
"It's only temporary." Lu Ming nodded. If it were to feed the ordinary civilians in Xishui County, they could survive until winter with thin porridge. But if it were to feed the tens of thousands of bloodline descendants in the county, it would only last a month at most, even with frugal living. During the preparation for war, bloodline soldiers cannot afford to go hungry. If they were to be fed according to the preparation for war, it would probably only last half a month.
Thinking of this, Lu Ming looked at a figure sitting silently not far away. "We need intelligence."
The figure slowly raised its head, looking at Lu Ming with a cold and indifferent gaze. " The Duke of Qin needs intelligence, not scouts, but me? Where would I get intelligence?"
The one speaking was none other than the academic administrator Mu Hongqing.
"You can gather intelligence," Lu Ming said with a slight smile. "You should have sensed it, right? Your prized disciple has also come to Nanming Prefecture. She's now a favorite of Chen Qing!"
Mu Hongqing: "."